Notes from the first mail discussion
PHYS261 Pages
Note from Annette Höfer

I already heared the lectures "Physics of Atoms and Molecules" and "Physical Optics" at my
homeuniversity. I want to use this course as a repetition, because I have to do an exam
about all this in the next year.
Other lectures (that could be intresting for this lecture) I already heared:
Electrodynamics, Quantummechanics, Experimental Physics (Relativistic,Optics,atomic Physics) 

After this Course I will hear Solid State Physics and Nuclear&Particle Physics.

Atomic Physics:
- I never heared something about the Golden Rule of Fermi, but perhaps I know it but not
  under this name
- I don´t know so much about Lasers (only the basics)
- I think the point 10 is very important for me (often asked in exams)
- 11 & 12 sounds interesting (I know only the basics)

Physical Optics:
- point 1 often asked in exams -> important for me
- I can´t remember very much from my "Physical Optics"lecture (long time ago..)
  -> all the points would be good as a repietition

History of Optics
- I´m from Jena, so of course I heared a lot about Schott, Abbe and Zeiss in school (I was
  at the "Otto Schott Gymnasium" :) and at the university
 

Note from Johanna Kramme and Felix Groitl

Here are the notes from Felix and me. We did them together, we visited the same lectures in Heidelberg.
Atomic part
1. we did on Tuesday
2. we know about the atomic units and learned the other parts, but a short revision would
be nice.
3. we know
4.-6 is mostly unknown
7. please repeat the golden rule
8. we did
9. mostly unknown
10./ 11. important for us would be the auger effect, lamp shift and Dirac equation
12 /13. no idea
Optics part
1./2. short repetition would be nice 
1./2. short repetition would be nice
3. -7. we should know most of it
8/9 we like to do in more detail
10. no idea about it
11.diffuse knowledge
12.- 14. not really known


Anak's notes

Thanks for such a long note. I tied to go thorugh stuffs you aske me to do, however to answer these questions concretely is not easy. Firstly, I would say that it is nice to see all the course contents of both parts: atomic physics and physical optics. This make us easier follow the curriculum with self works. I am looking at those earlier notes in the phys261 webpage. I have made a very short note,this time only to be polite, please find in the attachment

In my understanding atomic units are numerical values used to express the physical quantities in atomis scales like mass and charge of electron. Though, these can also be expressed in SI units. The advantages of doing so is to calculate and represent the atomic quantities differently? Mass(kg), length(m) and time(s) are fundamental units and rest can be derived in SI unit system

In atomic unit system, fundamental mass is the mass of electron, fundamental length is Bohr's radius and fundamental charge is the charge of electron. In calculations mass and charged are equal to unity and the Bohr's radius is the distace between ground state hydrogen electron and nucleus. This is a approximation since electron position is probabilistic i QM. Quantities in atomic physics can be derived together with another fundamental constant ''Planck's constant''

PHYS261 Pages

Atomic and Molecular Physics
  1. Introduction. The history, present state and possible future of Atomic,
    Molecular and Optical Science (AMOS).
  2. Hydrogen-like atoms.Properties of nl-states, Atomic units.
    Basic facts. Ref: B &J, Merzbacher, any book on Quantum Mechanics
  3. Interaction of atomic electrons with Electromagnetic Field. Part 1, qualitative overview, selection rules
  4. Two-electron atoms. Perturbatinal and variational methods. Ref: B &J, NOTES
  5. Many-electron atoms. Selfconsistent fields.
    Second quantization and algebraic methods for SCF. Configuration Interaction. Ref: B &J, NOTES 
  6. Brief Introduction to molecular physics Born-Oppenheimer Approximation,
    electronic, rotational and vibrational spectra. Ref: B &J parts of chapters 9 and 10
  7. Interaction of atomic electrons with Electromagnetic Field.
    Fermi's Golden Rule, density of states, elmag. lifetime.
    Line-shapes. Ref: B &J, Chapter 4 , NOTES
  8. Principles of Laser Physics. Einstein A and B coefficients, population inversion.
    Coherent states of electromagnetic field (Glauber States). Ref: NOTES , B &J chap.4, chap. 14.2
  9. Atoms in Laser fields. Ref: NOTES
  10. Phenomena and Mechanisms:
    Fine structure and Hyperfine structure of atomic spectra,
    Zeeman effect, Stark effect, Lamb-shift , Auger effect. Ref: B &J, NOTES, qualitative review.
  11. Relativistic phenomena in atomic physics.
    Dirac equation. Spin-orbit coupling. Ref: NOTES. Background in B &J.
  12. Relation of atomic physics to other fields. Seminar form. Orientation.
    Solid state Physics, Nuclear Physics, Particle Physics
  13. Computer experience with selfconsistent fields,
    numerical solution of Schroedinger Equation,
    Configuration Interaction etc.Ref: NOTES.
    Demonstrations on the computers in groups.
    For interested students - own work.
    Some of the computer exercises will be available during the course at aproprite periods,
    a larger block will be run in a special period towards the end of the course.
Physical Optics
  1. Maxwell.s Equations
  2. Pulse Propagation in a Dispersive Medium
  3. Harmonic Plane Waves - Polarisation
  4. Reflection and refraction of a plane wave
  5. Generalisation of the reflection law and Snell.s law
  6. Reflectance and transmittance
  7. Unpolarised light (natural light)
  8. Rotation of the plane of polarisation upon reflection and refraction
  9. Boundary Value Problems
  10. Rayleigh-Sommerfeld.s and Kirchhoff.s diffraction integrals
  11. Diffraction problems
  12. Focusing and imaging
  13. Electromagnetic radiation problems
  14. Asymptotic diffraction theory

Alexander Sauter's NOTE

Atomic Physics Part

  1. Introduction. The history, present state and possible future of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Science
  2. Hydrogen-like atoms.Properties of nl-states, Atomic units. Basic facts.
    The Hydrogen-atom it self is good known but not the e.g. exotic ones
  3. Interaction of atomic electrons with Electromagnetic Field. Part 1, qualitative overview, selection rules
    should be present
  4. Two-electron atoms. Perturbatinal and variational methods.
    there is just a very basic knowledge in 2-el. atoms
  5. Many-electron atoms. Selfconsistent fields. Second quantization and algebraic methods for SCF. Configuration Interaction.
    unknown
  6. Brief Introduction to molecular physics Born-Oppenheimer Approximation, electronic, rotational and vibrational spectra.
    unknown
  7. Interaction of atomic electrons with Electromagnetic Field. Fermi's Golden Rule, density of states, elmag. lifetime. Line-shapes.
    some basic things about the interaction but not very deep
  8. Principles of Laser Physics. Einstein A and B coefficients, population inversion. Coherent states of electromagnetic field (Glauber States).
    I know about the parts of a lasers, had the coefficients but don't realy remember, the same with the inversion.
  9. Atoms in Laser fields.
    nearly unkown
  10. Phenomena and Mechanisms: Fine structure and Hyperfine structure of atomic spectra, Zeeman effect, Stark effect, Lamb-shift , Auger effect.
    Had the different structures. Lamb-shift, Auger effect and mostly the stark effect is very diffuse.
  11. Relativistic phenomena in atomic physics. Dirac equation. Spin-orbit coupling.
    unknown
  12. Relation of atomic physics to other fields.
  13. Computer experience with selfconsistent fields, numerical solution of Schroedinger Equation, Configuration Interaction etc.
    looking forward to this
Physical Optics part
  1. Maxwell.s Equations
    Linearity and Superposition Principle
    Phase Velocity and Group Velocity
    known but not deeper understood
  2. Pulse Propagation in a Dispersive Medium
    nearly unknown
  3. Harmonic Plane Waves - Polarisation
    just some mathematics could be completed
  4. Reflection and refraction of a plane wave
    the same
  5. Generalisation of the reflection law and Snell.s law
    not sure what that would be
  6. Reflectance and transmittance
  7. Unpolarised light (natural light)
    would like to get a good description
  8. Rotation of the plane of polarisation upon reflection and refraction
    the same
  9. Boundary Value Problems
    should be largely present
  10. Rayleigh-Sommerfeld.s and Kirchhoff.s diffraction integrals
    don't remember about integrals
  11. Diffraction problems
    Fresnel diffraction
    Fraunhofer diffraction
    Circular aperture
    Rectangular aperture
    just basic knowledge
  12. Focusing and imaging Aberrations
    just untheoretical basics
  13. Electromagnetic radiation problems
    Field radiated by a localised source
    Field due to a point source - Green.s function
    Field radiated by a dipole
    Retarded solution of the wave equation
    the most seems familiar
  14. Asymptotic diffraction theory
    unknown
My courses: I'm in the 7th semester, so I have done many lectures but here some which might have something to do with this cours: (attend, that some of these courses were over 2 semester ago)